Pray for strength for this geologist as he battles institutional religious discrimination. May God change hearts in this nation, especially among scientists, who are daily faced with the glories of the Lord but are often blind and/or antagonistic to God.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. (Ps. 19:1-2)

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“A geologist is accusing the federal government in a lawsuit of barring his research in the Grand Canyon because of his biblical beliefs, which religious liberty advocates cite as part of a growing trend of persecution against Christians who try to live their faith in public.

Andrew Snelling holds a doctorate in geology from the University of Sydney and has conducted previous research at the site. His lawsuit claims that park officials have blocked his research efforts for more than three years because of his faith.

‘The government isn’t allowed to discriminate against someone based on their viewpoint, and National Park officials have absolutely no legal justification in stopping a scientist from conducting research simply because they don’t agree with his views,’ said Gary McCaleb, senior counsel at the Alliance Defending Freedom, which filed the lawsuit last week on behalf of Mr. Snelling. ‘Using someone’s views to screen them for a government benefit is unconstitutional.’

The alliance filed the lawsuit against the Interior Department, the National Park Service and Grand Canyon National Park, which have not issued statements about the lawsuit or the geologist’s research.

President Trump promised during his campaign to make protecting religious freedom the first priority of his administration. To that end, he signed an executive order May 4 instructing federal agencies not to discriminate on the basis of religious belief.

‘This is something that should be a concern for all people,’ he said, ‘whatever their faith.’’’ (Excerpted from The Washington Times. Go HERE to read the entire article by Bradford Richardson.)